What do we know about the UK airbase terror investigation?

What do we know about the UK airbase terror investigation?

British police are investigating whether individuals acting for a foreign state were involved in an apparent plot to attack an airbase used by the United States but five suspects they arrested have been released on bail, causing some surprise.

The five men, all British nationals from London in their early 20s, were detained early on Sunday after police were alerted by a local farmer about three white vans driving towards RAF Fairford, a British base that houses US bombers that fly missions against Iran.

The men, arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and planning a terrorist act, were released under stringent bail conditions on Monday.

Here is what is known so far about the incident:

What happened at Fairford?

Police were called to the airbase, 90 miles (145 km) west of London, early on Sunday morning by a local farmer who said she had seen three large white vans parked near the base and a group of "hooded and masked men" running into a nearby field.

Armed officers from the local force, Gloucestershire Police, responded and arrested five men in the Whelford area, about a mile from the base.

About 85 households were evacuated from properties near where the three vehicles were found and a 400-meter cordon put in place around them.

What do we know about the men who were arrested?

The five men detained were all British nationals aged between 23 and 25 who lived in London, police said.

An image on social media purported to show some of the suspects, seated shirtless with hands behind their backs, after their arrest.

Why would Fairford be a target?

The Fairford base, which opened in 1944 and was used by allied troops for the D-Day invasion of Normandy, has this year been used by US forces for strikes on Iran.

It is one of the US Air Force's only European airfields suitable for heavy bombers, and played a key role in both the first Gulf War in 1991 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Britain said in July its armed forces were ready to protect Fairford after Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned it not to allow US bombers to ‌fly from the base. The Guards said any base used to launch attacks would be a legitimate target.

Over the last six weeks there has been increased surveillance in the area after a specific threat from the Iranians, according to a local councillor.

However, Iran's embassy in London said in a statement that it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations" about Tehran's possible involvement in the incident.

What has been said about the incident?

The farmer who alerted the police to the incident, told British media she saw eight to 10 men running from the vans with their faces covered and that they got within about 100 metres of the perimeter fence of the airbase.

"I just can't process how that base was on such high alert, and that the men were even there," the farmer, who has not been named, said, adding that a blockade had focused only on the main entrance.

"I'm really glad they ran away."

British Defense Minister Wes Streeting told BBC TV he was grateful to the witness but that she only had a "partial picture" of what had happened after she said she was "staggered" it had been left to a member of the public to report them despite the heightened threat.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the government's emergency response committee.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday the group had been under investigation as part of a long-running investigation. "We had them under view for a long time, and we got them," he said, adding that the suspects intended "big damage" to the base.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was a foreign actor involved, without providing evidence or specifying details.

What is happening now?

Despite the suspects' release on bail, the head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, Laurence Taylor, insisted: "To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They absolutely remain under investigation as we explore multiple lines of inquiry."

A source familiar with the investigation told Reuters that an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, although other possibilities including an Islamist plot were also being examined.

The source familiar with the investigation said the arrests were not "intelligence-led", although security had been heightened at the base, suggesting authorities were aware of an increased threat.

Another source familiar with the situation told Reuters that the three vans the men appeared to travel in had not contained viable explosives.

They said Sunday's police response had not been intelligence-led - an indication that the five were not under direct surveillance.

UK newspaper The Independent reported that residents living near RAF Fairford claimed to have been warned to stay indoors more than six hours before police received the farmer's call.

The newspaper reported seeing messages from a WhatsApp residents' group chat showing one resident claiming to be told by armed officers there was intelligence over an "imminent" attack, while another claimed to have been told to stay indoors.